Review of literature MCQs With Answer

Review of literature MCQs With Answer is designed specifically for M.Pharm students to strengthen understanding of literature review principles in research methodology and biostatistics. This set of questions covers concepts such as types of reviews, search strategies, critical appraisal tools, evidence synthesis, bibliographic databases, bias detection, and reporting standards like PRISMA and PICO. Each question is focused on practical skills used during protocol development, systematic reviews, and thesis writing. Use these MCQs to test recall, deepen comprehension, and prepare for exams or viva voce; answers are provided to enable immediate self-assessment and targeted revision.

Q1. What is the primary purpose of a literature review in health research?

• To provide an exhaustive list of all publications in a field regardless of relevance
• To identify research gaps, summarize existing evidence and avoid unnecessary duplication
• To replace the need for ethical approval
• To publish original experimental data

Correct Answer: To identify research gaps, summarize existing evidence and avoid unnecessary duplication

Q2. Which type of review explicitly follows a pre-defined protocol, comprehensive search, quality appraisal and reproducible synthesis?

• Narrative review
• Editorial
• Systematic review
• Case series

Correct Answer: Systematic review

Q3. PRISMA is a guideline commonly used for reporting which of the following?

• Randomized controlled trial protocols
• Clinical practice guidelines
• Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
• Case reports

Correct Answer: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Q4. In the PICO framework, what does the ‘C’ typically represent?

• Condition
• Comparison or Control
• Clinical outcome
• Context

Correct Answer: Comparison or Control

Q5. What is the main aim of designing a search strategy for a literature review?

• To retrieve as few articles as possible
• To locate relevant studies using defined keywords, subject headings and limits
• To only search one database intensively
• To prioritize older references over recent ones

Correct Answer: To locate relevant studies using defined keywords, subject headings and limits

Q6. Which Boolean operator is used to narrow a search by requiring both terms to be present?

• OR
• NOT
• AND
• NEAR

Correct Answer: AND

Q7. Which of the following best describes ‘grey literature’?

• Peer-reviewed journal articles only
• Unpublished or non-commercially published sources such as theses, reports and conference abstracts
• Only articles behind paywalls
• Literature available in a single database

Correct Answer: Unpublished or non-commercially published sources such as theses, reports and conference abstracts

Q8. MeSH terms are most closely associated with which database and purpose?

• EMBASE; statistical analysis
• PubMed/MEDLINE; controlled vocabulary for indexing biomedical literature
• Google Scholar; full-text retrieval only
• Scopus; peer review management

Correct Answer: PubMed/MEDLINE; controlled vocabulary for indexing biomedical literature

Q9. What does the technique ‘snowballing’ mean in literature searching?

• Using automated alerts only
• Searching only the most cited article
• Using references of relevant articles and citations of those articles to find additional studies
• Limiting search to a single journal

Correct Answer: Using references of relevant articles and citations of those articles to find additional studies

Q10. Which of the following are examples of reference management software commonly used to organize citations?

• SPSS, SAS, R
• EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero
• PubMed Central, ClinicalTrials.gov, WHO ICTRP
• GraphPad, Prism, ImageJ

Correct Answer: EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero

Q11. Which tool is widely recommended for assessing risk of bias in randomized controlled trials when conducting a systematic review?

• CONSORT checklist
• Cochrane Risk of Bias tool
• Newcastle-Ottawa Scale
• QUADAS-2

Correct Answer: Cochrane Risk of Bias tool

Q12. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale is primarily used to assess the quality of which study designs?

• Randomized controlled trials
• Diagnostic accuracy studies
• Observational studies such as cohort and case-control studies
• Systematic review methodology

Correct Answer: Observational studies such as cohort and case-control studies

Q13. A PRISMA flow diagram documents which stages of study selection?

• Protocol development only
• Identification, screening, eligibility and inclusion of studies
• Statistical analysis steps
• Peer review process

Correct Answer: Identification, screening, eligibility and inclusion of studies

Q14. When is meta-analysis considered appropriate in a systematic review?

• When included studies are qualitatively heterogeneous and use different outcomes
• When there is sufficient clinical and methodological homogeneity and comparable outcome measures
• Whenever there are at least two studies regardless of differences
• Only when all studies are from the same country

Correct Answer: When there is sufficient clinical and methodological homogeneity and comparable outcome measures

Q15. Which statistic is commonly reported to quantify heterogeneity between study results in meta-analysis?

• Pearson correlation coefficient
• I-squared (I²) statistic
• Median absolute deviation
• Kaplan–Meier estimate

Correct Answer: I-squared (I²) statistic

Q16. Which method is commonly used to detect potential publication bias in a meta-analysis?

• CONSORT diagram
• Funnel plot
• Forest plot heterogeneity test
• PRISMA checklist

Correct Answer: Funnel plot

Q17. What does a journal ‘impact factor’ typically represent?

• The number of issues published per year
• Average number of citations received per article published in the journal within a specified time window
• The rejection rate of manuscripts
• The average length of articles

Correct Answer: Average number of citations received per article published in the journal within a specified time window

Q18. Which practice helps avoid plagiarism when writing a literature review?

• Copying methods sections verbatim from previous papers
• Using proper citation, paraphrasing and quotation for original ideas
• Submitting someone else’s literature review as your own
• Removing all references to reduce word count

Correct Answer: Using proper citation, paraphrasing and quotation for original ideas

Q19. What is the primary purpose of a data extraction form in a systematic review?

• To calculate journal impact factors
• To systematically record predefined study characteristics and outcome data from each included study
• To prepare the final manuscript layout
• To anonymize patient records for ethics committee

Correct Answer: To systematically record predefined study characteristics and outcome data from each included study

Q20. Identifying a ‘research gap’ in the literature typically means what?

• All research questions in a field have been answered
• There is an unanswered question, insufficient evidence, or inconsistency that justifies further study
• There are too many high-quality studies available
• Existing studies are identical and redundant

Correct Answer: There is an unanswered question, insufficient evidence, or inconsistency that justifies further study

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